Charge Your Phone with a DIY Catering Candle Powered Charger

By Pradeep Chandrasekaran on 05/25/2012 09:54 PDT

Have you ever been stuck in your home while the power is out and your smartphone is running low on juice? The first thing people tend to do is to break out the candles and start putting them all around the house so it not only looks extremely romantic, but it also gives you the essential capability to see what’s around you. Now however, there might be a way to use those candles along the laws of thermodynamics, and recharge your phone.

With everything else aside, this DIY project is extremely interesting but at the same time it isn’t something that is necessary or practical, especially since one of the parts needed to make the charger is a cheap AA phone charger which seems to make the whole endeavor a bit of a waste of time. However, if you’re the type that likes to get down and dirty with mini science projects, this one would be right up your alley.

What you will need for the DIY candle-based charger is a list of parts worth $55 that consist of a Peltier device from a USB drink chiller, a can of cooking fuel, a cheap AA phone charger and a few other minor things including the catering candle and the parts for a stand. If you want to give it a whirl yourself, just watch the instructional video embedded above that also has an explanation as to how it works.